ESCALATING VIOLENCE: Afghan officials said NATO planes killed eight women and girls gathering wood before dawn in the remote Laghman province. Relatives took their bodies to a hospital Sunday. The airstrike drew an apology from the U.S.-led coalition and condemnation from Afghan President Hamid Karzai. (Khalid Khan/Associated Press)

WORKERS ON STRIKE: A worker of the Italian factory Asa, a waste-management company, poured gasoline on his chest and threatened to set himself on fire during a protest Monday against the planned privatization of certain business sections. (Alessandro Di Marco/European Pressphoto Agency)

EXCHANGE RATE: U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave a traditional insignia ‘challenge coin’ to U.S. personnel at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo Monday. Mr. Panetta called for diplomatic efforts to resolve a worsening territorial spat between Japan and China. (Larry Downing/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)